What are your “aspirational” items?

[Mrcpy]

This question is a little tongue in cheek, but I’m genuinely interested in what you think.

I’m a professional in my mid-30’s. Obviously I’ve been aware that some people like luxury things, but somehow felt myself to be “above” fashion, and very happy with my £30 M&S crossbody etc.

Recently I’ve started upgrading my wardrobe and reading about fashion. I’m getting the impression that there are certain items which show that you’ve MADE IT IN LIFE.

So these are the ones that keep coming up:

• Mulberry Bayswater


• Cartier Ballon Bleu / Tank


• Hermes Birkin / Kelly


• Hermes silk scarves


• Chanel classic flap


• Burberry trench coat


• Van Cleef Alhambra bracelet


• Cartier love bracelet

Do you agree/disagree? Have I missed anything?

Just to clarify, this is just a list (for fun) of things that tend to be described as “classic”, “investment pieces” and “everyone should have a…”. My own wishlist is a lot shorter. The bracelets are not to my taste and I’ve gone off Mulberry. One day I hope to buy a Chanel classic flap and maybe a silk scarf or two.

(Namechanged as I may have outed myself on another thread. Been a member for years.)

I think the OP knows that ‘made it’ in life hasn’t anything to do with fashion/beauty but things like mortgage, good savings.

However, for some women it does bring satisfaction to save for an iconic bag or shoes etc and why not?

Not everyone gains satisfaction for those type of things but some do and it’s lovely for them.

It’s sad to see a post that’s meant to be fun turn into what it has.

Everyone’s opinions on what’s worth the investment/whats déclassé etc is all relevant and interesting.

Er, no. That post isn't self- righteous.

In my youth I wanted a Chanel suit... possibly after seeing Patsy in hers in Ab Fab. My suit wearing days are long behind me now.

I'd like some Ruth Tomlinson jewellery
ruthtomlinson.com/

My watch of choice is an Omege De Ville something or other that costs 20-odd grand. I do like the Ballon Bleu though.
I'd like a really beautiful evening gown.
An Aston Martin DB5.
A house in De Beauvoir Square.

I've long wanted one of the Alex Monroe bee necklaces, so I went to their shop in Covent Garden and they couldn't have been less interested. I walked out.

I like how your list goes in order of ascending cost, so you can tick them off one by one 😉

My aspirational item is a finger full of sparkly diamonds (like a wedding stack but I'm not married)
I don't know how to do it, part of me just thinks buy them and wear them but I feel strange doing that and not being married

Isn’t tasteless materialism out of style?

Not for me - having become aware of it only recently, it still feels fresh!

I love this answer!

S&B isn’t really my natural home, but my answer to the original question would have to be NOT the recognisable, iconic bags and jewellery (that even eternally unstylish me knows by sight if not by name) but the one-offs and obscure stuff. I mean, if you’re going to buy one bag to show you’ve made it you’d get an icon. If buying expensive bags is as natural as breathing, then you’re the kind of customer who’s buying the lesser known things. The weird colours that go with very little. The things that may or may not be highly resellable down the line.

Not that I’m either sort of buyer, but I know which impresses me more!

I’m so sorry that happened to you 🙁
Enjoy your lovely things!!!

Thank you, it was awful but its in the past, and it does make me value my life now.

On a brighter note, I love Oscha shawls, I use them as blanket scarves. They are handwoven in Scotland and are absolutely stunning imho. I had a few of their baby wraps when the DC were small, and the quality of the fabric is superb, still looks like new after many years of use. Their range changes frequently, and you can buy just the fabric too.

www.oschaslings.com/shop/accessories/shawls

In my late 20s I was doing tons of overtime and I bought myself a diamond solitaire and wore it on my right hand.

I got married when I was 21 and on my honeymoon in The Bahamas there was a lady who was probably around 50 who wore a Gucci watch to laze around the pool everyday l. I was beyond shocked that anyone could afford to wear a Gucci watch and risk ruining it to float around a pool and walk in the sand etc.
Fast forward 20 odd years and I'm wearing an old Gucci watch when lying around the pool, to my 21 year old self I've totally 'made it' and I've nothing left to aspire too😂

The items we view as aspirational vary from person to person and I think are heavily influenced by whatever was perceived as the definition of success when we were young and poor, and those items seemed so out of reach!
For me it's not a specific item, although I do have a love of diamond rings, but it would be having the ability to spend freely and not worry about cost. That said, I'd not mind a Chanel handbag if anyone in my life was offering to buy me an expensive present

I find that whenever I get something I've really hankered after, I start hankering after something else almost immediately. Which is what the makers of luxury goods want!
Im really trying to be more content with what I already own because in all honesty, it's more than enough!

I have been lucky enough to visit the Burberry trench factory. Now I've seen what goes into them I definitely see why they cost what they do.

But for that price I think I want more than just a click on a website and a delivery the day after.

I'd love to get shoes made at someone like Loab, or a Phillip Treacy hat.

I'd love a silver Elsa Peretti Bone cuff. Affordable(ish) compared to the gold.

I get you OP - until I turned 30 I’d have happily wore whatever and thought nothing of it. After a health scare and a new focus on looking after myself, I’ve also started to have more of a style interest and there’s things where I think that when I think I’ve made it - it’ll be because I have X.

None of it is expensive but it’s a lot more than I would have paid at Primark or Tescos.

the first one was Chanel perfume - I wear it every single day and love it. I even match my shampoo and body wash scents to it. Best Christmas present I ever got and now I receive it every year and every year I love it.

Proper hairstyles next - proper salon cut and dyes. No more out of a box! Felt finally quite grown up with that one.

im now working on growing my nails out as a biter as I can’t wear acrylics due to work but want to have them done.

Chanel features a lot because I like the overall style and would kill for a proper Chanel little black dress or suit. If I ever get one - I’ll want to be buried in it!

Agree the Ruth Tomlinson jewellery is fab @beguilingeyes

Max Mara camel coat instead of my jaeger one
omega solid gold constellation instead of my stainless and gold mixed one
I do like a bit of bling though
www.omegawatches.com/en-gb/watch-omega-constellation-co-axial-master-chronometer-29-mm-13155292099002

£61K

Eeeep!

Are you sure you want to be a walking cliche?

The problem I have with bling, and I guess anything else noticeably expensive, is I’m paranoid someone will try to steal it (rather than inherently disliking it, IYSWIM).

We lock up our bins to avoid them being stolen and I don’t think they’re particularly valuable 😅 I am overly cautious on that front though (haven’t lived anywhere, yet, where such caution isn’t required!).

Still aspire to custom jewellery and clothes though, just probably need to move too 😁

Villa in south of France
Volkswagen California
A skinny pig

That is how you know you have made it.

I don’t aspire for things - I’m a places type person.

I do wear a lot of Georg Jensen, as I age. I suppose that isn’t aspirational as I am buying and wearing it but I really love it and how it ages with me.

This is mine. Looks like a bargain next to yours.

www.omegawatches.com/en-gb/watch-omega-de-ville-ladymatic-co-axial-chronometer-34-mm-42560342055003

It's so individual and yet clearly influenced, what we hold valuable. Individual because the objects must appeal to us, influenced, because the association with someone or something that elevates said objects to aspirational level.
Unfortunately Kardashians et al have done many a luxury brand great dis-service; the sales might be up but the fate of Burberry is looming.
Have had some decent stones set in custom made rings as had an ex who was madly generous with his gifts but had an appalling taste, hence the stones had to be rescued.
Have most items on your list, apart from Mulberry as don't rate them, and whilst it's nice to dig them out when I remember, mostly I can't be arsed.
Wear very little jewellery although should really try and get the pearls out as the need to be worn to retain their lustre. Would be a sight dripping in baubles and planting beans🙄
OP, go for your list but apart from the initial rush of excitement, don't expect everlasting euphoria from your acquisitions.
Or maybe I'm just jaded 🤨

My aspiration is a 3 bed flat in Hampstead/Primrose Hill :)

I don't think that any consumer goods that you can buy online and with a credit card is a status symbol in today's world. Cos anyone and everyone can have a credit card these days and the limits are fairly generous so a young 20 year old with a part time job could be toting around a LV bag. The exception are Hermes and Chanel quota bags ( cos Chanel is kinda aping Hermes now) where you need to get the bag through a SA and you probably need previous purchase history. That is less easy to attain despite stories of people 'scoring their first Hermes bag on their first try'. that whole system is faintly ridiculous anyway but that is the only consumer good I can think off the top of my head which is not available to anyone with a few thousand quid (on credit or otherwise). I am not familiar with watches (can you buy them in credit?). It's different with property, you have to have inheritance, savings or income to pay the mortgage etc. Even for a rental, you need to pass affordability check. It's why my sadly manic friend has managed to buy herself thousand pound jackets in Harrods and would have bought a £4000 teapot (we told Harrods she was mentally ill and please do not sell it to her but they said there was nothing they could do; it's her money) if we didn't persuade her otherwise but she has not managed to rent a flat in Primrose Hill which she was talking about for a while (she has divorce money but no income). Looking at her shopping at Harrods kinda de-glammed the whole concept of luxury shopping for me; it's hard to explain; it made me think a lot of the influencers who shop incessantly could be hiding their own mental health problems very well.

I guess that's why I don't aspires to any luxury consumer goods. I can already afford luxury makeup but that is about the experience/efficacy rather than the label (as it is usually hidden in makeup bag).
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